Mixer and spreader for concrete and other plastic materials.



F. E. RALEIGH.

MIXER AND SPREADER FOR CONCRETE AND OTHER PLASTIC MATERIALS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21, 1 908.

1,142,841 a Patented June 15, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1- F. E. RALEIGH. MIXER AND SPREADER FOR CONCRETE AND OTHER PLASTIC MATERIALS.

Patented June 15, 1915.

- 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21, 1908.

F. E. RALEIGH. MIXER AND SPREADER FOR CONCRETE AND OTHER PLASTIC MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21,1908.

Patented J un 15, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

F. E. RALEIGH. MIXER AND SPREADER FOR CONCRETE AND OTHERPLASTIG MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21, 1908. 1,142,841.

Patented Jun 15, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.-

FREDERICK E. RALEIGH, STRONG CITY, KANSAS.

MIXER AND SPREADER FOR CONCRETE AND OTHER PLASTIC MATERIALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 21, 1908. Serial No. 417,011.

To all 10/2 0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK E. RALEIGH, a citizen of the United dent of Strong City, in the county of Chase and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mixers and Spreaders for Concrete and other Plastic Materials; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates more'particularly to that class of mixers and spreaders in which thematerial is automatically mixed and delivered to the point where the same is to be used and also distributed at approxi- J mately the rate and quantity required for said theconstruction in hand.

It is an object of this invent1on to aiiord an automobile or self-propelled machine of the class described capable of moving under its own power from one job to another and of advancing itself as the work progresses, thus at all times obviating the employment of a large number of men or teams of horses for this purpose.

It is alsoan object of this invention to provide a machine of the class described operating under its own power and whereby the materials to be mixed are elevated and delivered automatically to a preliminary mixing chamber in which the same are thoroughly mixed dry and from which the material is delivered by gravity through a suitable conveyer to the point where the same is to be spread, during the passage through I conveyor receiving the requisite amount of water or moisture to impart the desired consistency for use.

It is also an object of the invention to provide mechanism for simultaneously mixmg, wetting, and delivering through a wide are material of the nature described and to afford in combination therewith mechanism for advancing the machine simultaneously with or independently of the operation of the mixing and delivering mechanism.

The invention embraces many novel features and consists in the matters hereinafter described and more fully pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying my invention.

States, and a resi- As shown,

Fig. 2 is a top plan thereof. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of the mixing chamber, conveyer and the spray pipe. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the conveyor. Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section of the conveyor. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of one of the deflectors in the conveyor. Fig. 7 is an enlarged section on line 77 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is an enlarged section on line 88 of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail of one of the ways for the elevator. Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the elevator bucket with the rear end released as in dumping position. Fig. 11 is an enlarged view of one of the ways at the inner end of the bucket or elevator, I

As shown in the drawings: A suitable frame comprising side sills A and center sills a a is rigidly connected by means of end sills a a to afford a rigid plat form, which is supported at its front end by means of any suitable fifth wheel or -rotatable bearing, upon an axle B, provided with wheels 6, and, at its rear end is supported upon an axle B provided with traction wheels Z) at the ends thereof and also, as shown in Fig." 1, provided with a suitable change speed mechanism 6 enabling said wheels to drive independently, if desired. a shaft C, provided with a cable drum 0, is journaled at the rear of said front axle and is provided with a worm gear a which meshes with a Worm c on the steering standard 0 at the upper end of which Patented June15, 1915.

an internal combustion motor such as a gaso-x lene engine, though, of course, any suitable motor or engine may be used. 4

Journaled longitudinally the frame is a icoshaft D having rotatably engaged thereon a worm gear d, which meshes at all times with a worm d. on the main driving shaft of the engine. The hub of said gear d is shaped to afford one member of a clutch and slidably engaged on the shaft D, is a complemental clutch member 03 which, by means of a suitable lever, may be thrown into or out of engagement with'said-hub to rotate I pelled direct from parallel arches,

, at rest.

of. The saddle member 71,

Fitted over the 'conveyer the shaft D or to permit the same to remain As shown also, a gear (1* is provided on the rear end of said shaft D and meshes with a pinion 01 on the rear end of which meshes with suitable gears in the differential b in the usual or any suitable manner to enable the machine to be prosaid engine. As shown, the pinion d is rotatable onthe shaft D and the rear end of the hub thereof affords one member of a clutch, the other member (i of which is non-rotatably engagedon the shaft D in any suitable manner and is adapted to be slid into engagement with its complemental clutch member on said pinion d by means of a lever (1 f tigidly secured on said platform is an upright, structural metal frame consisting of front and rear the outer members GG, of which consist of channel bars facing inwardly and which extend vertically to near the top of the frame and thence are curved inwardly from a center approximately above the sill A or A to afi'ord an integral arch, the top of which g is approximately horizontal. Extending from the top and vertically downward and rigidly bolted to the side sills A and A are corresponding channels G2G3, and bolted or riveted on the outer flanges thereof with the webs in substantially the same plane are other channels G*- which extend approximately to the same height as the beginning of the be nd in the outer channels, thus providing three inwardly facing tracks, two of which are at the inner side of said frame and side by side, and the other of which is in the outer channel. Said frame members are rigidly connected in parallel relation by horizontal beams and struts a g-g g -g*-g g said struts 9 -9 being of any desired number and connecting the channel bars G -G longitudinally of the machine, being bolted on the inner flanges of said channel bars.

Mounted upon a suitable rotatable bearing H, is a rearwardly extending frame H comprising rearwardly converging sills, which are connected transversely by means of saddle members it hh rigidly bolted thereto, the saddle member it being near the forward end of said frame and the saddle member in at the rearward extremity thereis of considerable height and the saddle member h at the rear end is but slightly higher than the rear end of the frame and each of said saddle members is provided with rollers h on each side thereof which projects above the inner side of the saddle to afford a support for the conveyer H and to facilitate rotation thereof.

'11", are semi-circular straps of steel h, which serve to bind the conveyer to its bed in said saddles. Near its upper end alfear h. is rigidly secured on said conveyer in mesh with a pinion h shaft D, the

of the bendplates Z the shaft of if, the forward end of which carries abeveled pinion k which meshes with a bevel gear h", the shaft k of which is journaled axially in the rotatable bearing H, for

I and with the lower end thereof in axial alinement with and extending into the conveyer- H is a hopper I, the flaring, open mouth of which is directed upwardly and is supported to rotate in an annular member i, rigidly secured between the ways or channels G G by 'means of beams '5'. As shown, a suitable saddle I is rigidly bolted on the under side said hopper and is rotatably engaged on a bearing block 2' centrally'supported above the bevel gear k and upon which said hopper may rotatewith the swing of the conveyer.

J ournaled at the top of the arch on the bar 9, is a drum K, and on the forward end of the drum shaft is provided a beveled pinion k, which meshes at all times with the corresponding bevel pinion is, rigidly secured on the upper end of the shaft k which is journaled in suitable bearings in thebeams gg and A friction wheel 70 is rigidly secured on the lower end of said shaft with its periphery between the connected'friction disks k 7c splined on the shaft 70 on which also is the-driving pinion h, for rotating the conveyer. A suitable lever is is pivotally engaged at a fixed point on the frame and engages a hub connecting said friction disks 70 -40 to shift the same to bring either into engagement with the friction wheel is on said shaft. thus driving the shaft and drum K in either direction.

Bucket elevators are provided on each side of the machine and slidable in the ways formed by the channels G .to G inclusive. As shown, said elevators indicated by L comprise a bottom Z, side walls 1 and a rear end Z hinged to the bottom and which normally is held closed by engagement against riveted or bolted on the inner sides of the channels G G respectively. At the inner end of each of said buckets and on each side thereof is journaled a roller 1*, adapted to run in the channels G -G respectively. Somewhat in advance thereof and near the top of the bucket are corresponding rollers Z which track in the chanwhich is journaled in the saddle nel (EH-G "respectively and near the outer end of the bucket are journaled two rollers Z -Z, which track in the channels GG' respectively. As shown, cables 70 from the drum K are led over suitable idlers Z at the top of the frame and downwardly and engage suitable bails is secured to the bucket, as shown in Fig. 7, to hoist said bucket by the operation of said drum, the one rising as the other descends. The channels G G are each provided with a stop I", rigidly secured therein at a point opposite the be ginning of the bend in the outer channels and at which point the channels G -G terminate, with the outer flanges thereof turned outwardly, as shown in Fig. 7. As shown also in Fig. 7 the outer flange of the channels GG' are cut away from a point approximately at a 'level with said stop Z to near the point of connection with the channels G2G3 with the horizontal upper In operation therefore, as one of said buckets reaches maximum height,

the lower, inner roller Z contacts the stopl",

stopping the upward movement at the'in ner end of the bucket, the outer end, however, is carried upwardly, as shown in Fig. 7, and the rear end or door Z at the inner end of the bucket falls' open permitting the material in the bucket to slide therefrominto the chute Z whereby it is directed into the -h hopper. i

As shown, a tubular shaft M, is rigidly secured by ,means 'ofdiagonal members mF-m axiallyof the conveyer and extends through the hopper and outwardly through a suitable stufling box m and affords con nection with a hose pipe whereby water may be delivered to the material while passing through the conveyer. The inner end of said pipe or tubular shaft is provided with a spray head m and, rigidly secured on said tubular shaft in the hopper, are heaters m which serve to stirand mix the material inthe hopper preliminary to delivering the same into the conveyer.

Hand holes closed by suitable plates '12, are provided at suitable intervals in the conveyer and secured in the conveyer are adjustable deflector blades N which at their rear end are pivotally engaged in the inner wall ofthe conveyer and at their forward ends are provided with slotted segments a through which extendv the bolts whereby said deflectors are secured in place and which permit the deflectors to'be adjusted obliquely with the sides of the conveyer, if desired.

As shown in Fig. 5, said conveyers are constructed in a plurality of duplicate segments and connected by means of angle bars 0, the flanges of which a. e riveted to the edges of the segments and tie webs of which project outwardly and are adapted to be riveted or bolted together.

The operation is as follows: In propelling the machine from one location to another, of course only the steering mechanism and the levers for throwing the driving clutches into mesh need be actuated. The machine is capable of traveling from one location to another at a fair rate of speed if desired. Having positioned, the machinesuitably to the work, the material (which may be mixed dry in the proper proportions), is delivered into the elevator buckets and these are successively raised and lowered by means of the friction drive for theshaft each bucket automatically dumping when it reaches the upward limit of its movement and automatically closing to receive another load before it reaches the bottom. By throwing the clutch 72, by means of the'lever it, the conveyer is rotated by means of the intermeshing pinion h and gear If. This, of course, also rotates the sprayer and mixer shaft M, mixing the material in the hopper to a certain extent and as the same passes into the conveyer delivering water thereto in the desired quantity as the material passes down wardly through the conveyer where the mixing is completed; To some extent the rate of delivery from the conveyer-may be accelerv ated or retarded by the adjustment of the deflecting plates N. These, in any event, owever, assist in mixing. As the material is delivered from the end ofthe conveyer, the conveyer is swung at a suitable rate across the area of operation. The range of operation of course, dependsto a certain extent upon the length of the conveyer and its amplitude of lateral movement. The conveyer may-be swung manually as the material is required or if desired, this may be actuated by means'of suitable connection with the motor. Usually, however, inasmuch as the conditions of surface-may require some variation in duantity at different points, in the work, the conveyer is swung by hand and. in this way the material is distributed as required, the machine moving ahead under itsown power whenever necessary, or desirable to facilitate the work.

Of course, I am aware that the material may be delivered to the elevators in a mixed and wet condition or may be mixed and have water applied while in the elevator buckets, if desired. Of course," too, other forms of elevators may be provided should they be preferred and many details in relation to the driving connections may be varied. I therefore do not purpose limiting this application for patent otherwise than necessitated by the prior art, inasmuch as I have shown but one of several embodiments of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

In a device of the class described a mixing hopper, a mixing cylinder connected therewith to receive material therefrom, mixing blades within said cylinder, a tubular shaft extending through said mixing hopper and into said-cylinder, a sprayhead on the end of said shaft acting to distribute a liquid toward said blades and upon the material in said cylinder, a rigid connection between said cylinder and said shaft whereby the same is rotatedby said cylinder, and mixing blades secured to said shaft on the portion within said hopper to mix the material withweasel in said ho iper prior to its introduction into 10 the cylinder.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK E. RALEIGH. Witnesses:

C. W. HILLS, J. PVMAGGILLIVRAY. 

